<Prologue>

王知慕漱妃 Knowing she was the queen of Haemosu,

仍以別室寘 The King placed her in a separate palace.

懷日生朱蒙 She embraced the sun and gave birth to Jumong,

是歲歲在癸 In the year of Gyehae.

骨表諒最奇 His features were truly extraordinary,

啼聲亦甚偉 And the sound of his crying was very grand.

初生卵如升 At first, she laid an egg the size of a bowl,

觀者皆驚悸 And all who saw it were startled.

王以爲不祥 The King said, "This is an ill omen.

此豈人之類 How can this be of human kind?"

寘之馬牧中 He placed it in the stables,

群馬皆不履 But the horses would not step on it.

棄之深山中 He abandoned it in the deep mountains,

百獸皆擁衛 But all the beasts gathered to protect it.

母姑奉而養 The mother took it back and raised it,

經月言語始 And within a month, he began to speak.

自言蠅嘬目 He said himself, "Flies are biting my eyes,

臥不能安睡 I cannot lie down and sleep in peace."

母爲作弓矢 His mother made him a bow and arrows,

其弓不虛發 And his arrows never missed their mark.

年漸長大 As he grew older,

才能日漸備 His talents became more complete by the day.

餘王太子 The Crown Prince of Buyeo

心生妬忌 Felt jealousy in his heart.

言朱蒙者 He said, "This man Jumong

此必非常士 Is surely no ordinary person.

若不早百圖 If we do not deal with him early,

其患誠未已 The trouble he brings will never end."

王令往목馬 The King ordered him to tend the horses,

欲以試厥志 Wishing to test his will.

自思天之孫 Thinking to himself, "I am the grandson of Heaven,

賤牧良可恥 To tend horses so lowly is truly shameful."

捫心常獨歎 He stroked his chest and sighed alone,

吾生不如死 "Living like this is worse than death.

意將往南土 I wish to go to the southern lands,

立國立城市 To found a nation and build cities,

爲緣慈母在 But because my beloved mother is here,

離別誠未易 Parting is truly not easy."

其母聞此言 His mother heard these words,

潸然拭淸淚 And wiping away her flowing tears, said,

汝幸勿爲念 "Do not worry for me.

我亦常痛痞 My heart also aches for you.

士之涉長途 For a man to travel a long road,

須必憑駿騏 He must have a swift steed."

相將往馬關 She took her son to the stables

卽以長鞭捶 And struck the horses with a long whip.

群馬皆突走 The horses all bolted away,

一馬騂色斐 But there was one reddish-spotted horse

跳過二丈欄 That leaped over a two-jang fence;

始覺是駿驥 Only then did he realize it was a superior steed.

潛以針刺舌 He secretly stuck a needle in its tongue,

酸痛不受飼 So it could not eat from the pain.

不日形甚羸 In a few days, it became very thin

却與駑駘似 And looked no different from a common nag.

爾後王巡觀 Later, when the King came to inspect,

予馬此卽是 He gave him this very horse.

<To be continued>